Bothell Pet Hospital includes digital imaging technologies in its suite of diagnostic tools. These advanced diagnostics help our team better detect potential abnormalities in your pets, including skeletal issues, soft tissue injuries, potential foreign bodies, and dental disease.
- Digital Radiographs* including Dental Radiographs
- In-Hospital Rural Ultrasounds by Visiting Veterinary Radiologists
- Referrals for Computed Tomography (CT)
- Referrals for Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI)
A review of these technologies follows:
Diagnostic imaging refers to technologies that medical and veterinary professionals use to explore inside the body for clues about a medical condition. Radiographs (often called X-rays), ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT) scans can be used alone or in combination to offer an in-depth look at internal structures. Bothell Pet Hospital’s medical team has digital radiograph technology, dental-specific X-ray equipment, and ultrasound on-site. Referrals are made to specialty hospitals for CT and MRI as needed.
Digital Radiography (or X-rays) offer a picture quality that is much sharper than film X-rays, allowing for the radiologist to see information that might be missed. The digital X-ray process also is much faster and efficient. Digital radiographs allow images to be sent electronically, enabling a radiologist in a different location to review as well as allowing transmittal to veterinary specialists as needed.
Dental X-rays are an essential diagnostic tool that is used in your pet’s dental procedure. They allow our team to see the internal anatomy of the teeth, the roots, and the bone that surrounds the roots to be examined. Intra-oral radiographs are made using small radiographic films or digital sensors placed inside your pet’s mouth, providing superior quality for examination of individual teeth or sections of the jaws compared with standard-sized digital radiographs.
Ultrasound is a much better tool for looking at internal structures, such as the liver and kidneys. Although X-rays can tell you a great deal about the bones and the size and outside shape of internal organs, they can’t tell you what the inside of an organ looks like. Ultrasound allows our doctors to see the difference between fluid pockets and tumors. Biopsies and needle aspirates also can be obtained with ultrasound guidance in a way that is safer and less invasive than surgery.
*Once collected, this information is typically sent to be evaluated by a board-certified veterinary radiologist.
